Black Crow

by Jen Pretty

  The receptionist looked up and screamed almost falling out of her seat.

  Falcor chuckled.

  “Sorry,” I said, wishing I could grab up the bird and tuck him in my pocket or something. I knew that would just lead to him pecking me again, so I hoped my apology was enough.

  “We need to see Detective Tom Andrews,” Kai said, ignoring the woman's alarm at my bird.

  Slowly she reached out and pushed a button on the computer and spoke into the headset. “Tom, there are some people here to see you.”

  She was silent for a second and then said: “I think you should come out here now.” She pushed a button on the keyboard, then pulled her headset off slowly and laid it on the counter before pushing her chair away from the desk.

  Crow helpfully bobbed his head and cawed loudly at her, making her get up and run away.

  “Some people are afraid of birds, you jerk,” I muttered to Crow. He was still in my bad books for the stunt he pulled, making me eat raw crayfish.

  He jumped off the table and flapped around the room. A few people had their cell phones out and were videoing the bird in the police station. Crow would have his five minutes of internet fame.

  Detective Tom Andrews came hurrying off the elevator and stopped dead at the spectacle before him. He watched the bird doing laps around the room with slow flaps of his wings, carefully avoiding the humans and light fixtures.

  “Shit,” he whispered. His eyes slid down to mine and he seemed to snap out of the spell my bird had cast. “Come this way,” he said.

  We all moved forward and crammed into the elevator. I held the door until Crow slid in and plopped onto the floor at my feet.

  Tom pushed the button for the third floor and I was happy not to be going to the basement coroner's office. Tom said nothing until we were all inside a tiny office with the door closed.

  “So, what brings you here?” he asked. He didn't sound mad, it was more ‘business as usual’.

  “We were wondering how the victims got home,” I said when no one else offered to be the leader of our group.

  “We looked into that. Two of the women were walking, three had taken an uber, and the rest had their own cars.”

  “Crap,” I said.

  “Sorry, I wish this case were easier to solve too. But we must be getting closer,” Tom said.

  “Why do you say that?” Nick asked.

  Tom scratched his beard and collapsed in his desk chair. “The murders are accelerating and the location is definitely getting more specific. It's all around your building, Selena.”

  I already knew that. Then I had an idea. “The murders that weren’t around my building, how did those people get home?”

  Tom flipped through folders and papers for several minutes. “The first three were well away from your apartment building, those three all took an Uber home. We interviewed the driver, but he didn't remember the women and had fares all night long. Hardly enough time to kill a woman and dump her in the river.”

  We all thought for a moment. “It might be enough time to kill her and stuff her in his trunk though?”

  Tom shook his head. “The driver we interviewed was kind enough to show us his trunk. We didn't have a search warrant, and he didn't have to, but inside there were two big speakers leaving hardly enough space for a suitcase, let alone a body.”

  “Holy shit. That's the warlock that picked us up, remember? He drove me home from the club the night I met you, Nick. And out to my mother's place when I met Falcor.”

  “It’s not a big city,” Peran said. “There aren’t that many drivers.”

  He was probably right, but I was still suspicious. He could have taken the speakers out or something. “Thanks for your help,” I said, rising to my feet. I needed to make a plan. Crow hopped back to the door and pecked on it once.

  “Selena, don’t put yourself in danger,” Tom said from behind me.

  I waved over my shoulder. Someone had killed my friend, and I would solve this case and stop the monster. I had made a promise. Time to keep it.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Out on the street, Nick grabbed my arm and stopped me as I pulled out my phone. “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I'm calling an Uber,” I replied.

  Nick just stared at me for a second, then released my arm. “I’m coming with you.”

  “OK, fine. I’m just going back to my apartment. Maybe some of my clothes survived and we can look around the area for anyone suspicious.”

  Nick nodded.

  “I’m coming with you guys too,” Falcor said.

  “Well, we are going back to our hotel. Call if you need anything,” Kai said before he and Peran disappeared.

  Good. The fewer people the better for this plan to work.

  A car rolled up, though it wasn't the reggae and hula dancer Uber, but the three of us climbed in and I directed the driver to my apartment building. No one was in the entrance or on the stairs today. Just as well. I didn't need David to see me bringing home more guys.

  I dug through my pockets, but didn't have a key, so Falcor sifted us inside.

  The mess was as bad as I remembered. The rubble of my simple life was strewn about. I crossed carefully through the kitchen, glad I had good soles on my shoes, and opened the cupboard under the sink. There were 4 garbage bags left in the box. Not enough to clean up the whole mess, but enough to get started.

  I passed them out, but Falcor just looked at the bag like it was a dirty sock. “What do you expect me to do with this?” he asked.

  “Help me clean up the mess this killer made of my apartment,” I replied, picking up some broken plates carefully and putting them in my plastic garbage can. Whoever had ruined my apartment had torn the lid off the can, so it was garbage now too. The irony.

  “This place is disgusting,” Falcor said unhelpfully as he used his finger and thumb to pick up the edge of what used to be my favourite sweater.

  “Yeah, that's why we are cleaning it up,” I said.

  He stopped grumbling, mostly, and got to work.

  Even after I filled the bag and the garbage can, I had hardly made a dent in the mess of my small kitchen area. My plates and bowls seemed to multiply in the destruction.

  “I’m going to grab more garbage bags,” I said.

  “I’ll come with you,” Nick replied.

  “The store is two doors down, Nick. I’ll be fine.”

  He didn't look convinced.

  “Fine, come with me.” I shook my head, and he followed me out the door. Behind me Falcor dropped the bag he had been filling and collapsed on what remained of my futon. I guess it was break time.

  Nick followed me down the stairs, our boots echoing in the cement stairwell until I burst through the door at the bottom.

  David stood in the entryway, and his eyes grew wide when he saw us, his feet shuffling back a step.

  “Hey, David,” I said, a little unsure of myself.

  His eyes were firm on Nick though. “Hey, Selena,” he muttered. “How’s it going?”

  “Good, thanks. How about you?”

  He swallowed and glanced at me finally. “I’m fine. I’m just going to go.” He slid past us and disappeared through the door to the stairwell.

  I shook my head and sighed. It was going to be weird for a while around here, after we had accused David of being a murderer.

  I continued out the door and down the road to the tiny bodega on the corner. Nick walked beside me with his arm over my shoulders. It was nice being tucked in beside him.

  As we entered the store, we split up. Nick went to check out the drinks, and I scanned the aisles until I found a box of garbage bags. I wasn’t sure how I would get away from Nick to call an Uber, but I would have to find a way. I needed to get the driver who had picked me up before. He could have just been hanging around my building and come across those women by chance.

  I had scanned the book of mythical creatures while I was in the bathroom earlier, trying to commit all of them
to memory. Each had to either be beheaded, have its heart removed, or be dismembered.

  If the Uber driver was possessed by one of those mythical things, I would either have to decapitate, dismember and tear out his heart, or know which thing he was.

  As I rounded the back corner, I caught sight of Nick chatting with the man at the counter. The TV behind the cash was on and some basketball game was playing. They were staring up at the screen.

  I glanced around and found the door to the backroom. Now or never. I set the box of garbage bags back on the shelf and slipped through the door. The storage room was tiny. It had an open door that led to an even smaller bathroom and one door that had a glowing exit sign above it. I slid outside and broke into a sprint. As I ran down the street, I pulled out my cell.

  Nick would be so pissed.

  chapter twenty

  The Uber rolled up to the curb, the dancing hula girl visible in the windshield. I took a deep breath and slapped a smile on my face. I had second thoughts, but it was too late for that. Instead of turning and running like I should have done, I opened the door and the reggae music spilled out onto the sidewalk.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “You call for a car?” he asked, leaning towards the passenger seat.

  “Yup,” I smiled and slid into the seat. My leg bounced, and I pressed down on it trying to hide my nervousness. I pulled the door shut, but heard Crow caw just before the door shut.

  The car rolled away from the curb and into traffic.

  I remembered what Katherine had said about following the thread and I unfocussed my eyes, letting my magic spill out. It congealed and thinned out until it was a tight thread crossing the car and disappearing into the chest of the Uber driver.

  “Where are you going, Selena?” he said, pulling my attention back from the thread of magic.

  I thought I misheard him over the sound of his music, but he glanced at me with an angry tilt to his eyes. I knew then I was right about him, but also that I had made a huge mistake.

  “Just thought maybe we should have a chat,” I said casually. I was impressed that my voice didn't shake but the cold chuckle from the driver sent chills down my spine. He swept his hair back from his face and then gripped the wheel firmly and accelerated until we were going too fast. The car veered suddenly and took the on-ramp to the highway.

  I reached over my shoulder and pulled on my seatbelt.

  “You think that will save you?” His voice had changed. He sounded more like a demon than a man — cold and dark.

  “I'm not the one who will need saving.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. The car swerved across two lanes of traffic on the highway. Horns blared and my stomach jumped up into my throat. I was going to die in a fiery crash.

  “You know what your problem is, Selena? You have no idea about the world around you. They have been waiting for you all this time, but you have no power and now you’ll die because nobody took the time to teach you anything.”

  I swallowed hard. He was right. I had no idea what the Black Crow was or what it meant. I knew I could be good or bad, but not the extent of my powers or what I was supposed to be doing. Seeing through a bird’s eye and flying around wouldn't help me in this situation.

  The sparks of magic stirred inside me, building until my skin felt tight. I clamped down on it, not wanting it to do anything while we were hurtling down the highway.

  “You won't be needing that,” the driver said. I saw a flash of light and his arm flung out towards me so fast I couldn't react.

  Something had hit my stomach hard. I looked down and realized there was a knife handle protruding from my chest, just below my sternum. The sight made me pause for a moment before the pain hit and the reality set in.

  I gasped, but no air filled my lungs. The black dagger handle held my gaze for a moment before my t-shirt around it stained red in an ever-growing splash. The blue sparks of my magic tried to knit me back together again around the dagger. I coughed and blood spit from my mouth, spraying the windshield and dashboard. Even the hula dancer had blood on her grass skirt. My eyes focused on that for some reason. The bloody hula dancer was still rocking her hips back and forth as my mouth worked, trying to pull in oxygen.

  My hands came up and scrambled at the knife, but it was slick with blood, and, when I nudged it, a scream used up the last of my oxygen.

  The edges of my vision went white and then black, leaving me with nothing but the sight of the stupid dancer until the world faded away and everything went black.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “Rise and shine, little necromancer.”

  I groaned at the throb in my head before realizing I didn't recognize the taunting voice. I opened my eyes and tried to sit up, but a stabbing pain reminded me of what had happened.

  I screamed, and a hand clamped down on my mouth, pinning me to a hard, cramped surface.

  “You don't need to be so loud. Nobody can hear you anyway.”

  My eyes spun around, taking in my surroundings and I realized I was in the trunk of his car. The speakers in the back of his car were hollow, leaving space for a small person like me, or any of the other victims.

  My arms came up and my fingers wrapped around the hilt of the knife still protruding from my stomach. I wrapped my fingers around it and tried to pull, but my arms were heavy and I couldn't get a grip.

  It was scraping painfully against my ribs with every breath. A puddle had gathered under me and I wasn't sure how I was even still alive.

  “Now, now, no reason to be pulling on that. Let’s just leave it in for now so we can chat a minute. I like you better without your magic.”

  I focused on the man’s face, but his eyes were swirling purple and green in a metallic sheen. Whatever he once was, something now possessed him. I tried to think back to the book and remember what had eyes like that, but most of the drawings were in black and white.

  I moaned at the pain radiating through me, but at least I could breathe now.

  “The pain will end soon. I will drain you and then you can rest in peace. First, we are going on a little trip though. I have a special place in mind for this since you are so special.” The sound of a purr came from the man’s throat and I knew a big cat had to have possessed him. Maybe a jaguar? That made sense with the way he stalked his victims.

  If I could get the knife out of my chest, I could use it to stab him in the heart and kill him, but I could hardly lift my arms now and my eyes were sliding closed.

  “See you soon, necromancer.” He pulled the wooden speakers down and they fit over me like a coffin. I kicked once, twice, but then heard the trunk lid shut. Just before the engine started up again, I could have sworn I heard a loud caw of a crow. I prayed it was my crow, as I tried to rest and gather my strength for what was to come.

  The engine rumbled to life and the speakers in the car pounded out loud reggae music.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  I must have passed out again, because the next time I opened my eyes, the car was bumping over uneven ground and tossing me around in the small space of the trunk. I tried to brace myself against the hard thumps, but it was useless. One particularly hard bump made me hit the wooden speakers above me and when I dropped back to the steel trunk, the knife in my chest slid half way out.

  Very carefully, I wrapped my fingers around it and pulled it the rest of the way out. A scream broke free, and I hoped he hadn't heard me over the loud music. I took slow, deep breaths and calmed my racing heart until my body relaxed. I tucked my hand with the knife under my side so it wouldn't be visible when he opened the trunk. There would only be one chance. My magic had drained away along with all the blood I had lost. I had a tiny spark, but it wouldn't be enough to fight the monster that had killed my best friend and would surely kill me if I didn't get my shit together.

  The wound was closing and the tingle of the magic pouring back in relieved the pain somewhat. If we had driven on for another hour, I might have had enough magic to stop the
murderer. Instead, the car rolled to a stop on crunchy gravel and the music died.

  My heart tried to jump into my chest at the slam of the car door and the sound of boots getting closer to the trunk where I lay. I thought I heard a distant caw of a crow just before the thump of the trunk release.

  I took a deep shaky breath, then one more and the day light flooded into the trunk as he lifted the wooden speakers off me. The man that killed Georgia stood before me a cocky smirk on his face. He didn’t deserve to be alive.

  That thought sent fire to my veins, and the anger helped launch me out of the cramped space so fast, the man before me didn't have time to react. I buried the knife deep in his stomach.

  He fell back, and I rode him to the ground. The knife was too low.

  I cursed and tried to pull it back, but he started morphing from a human to a giant black cat. His hands slashed at my face and his sharp nail-tipped fingers sliced across my cheek and left eye, blinding me and sending me reeling back.

  The pain was unbearable but I knew if I stopped now, I would be dead. Just like Georgia and all the other women in the city. So, I pulled hard on the knife and then stabbed forward, swinging the knife towards where I had last seen the monster.

  He had already wriggled out from under me though and the sound of growling filled the treed area I had seen just before he shredded my face. I blinked hard, swinging the knife wildly, trying to buy myself time until I could see. The monster launched himself at me between one swing and the next, his deadly talons puncturing the skin of my chest and knocking me backwards.

  I held on to the knife somehow even as I landed hard on my back and his heavy weight knocked the wind out of me. Now that he was above me, I stabbed upwards in vain, trying to hit where I thought his chest might be. He let out a loud roar, and the weight flew off me.

  A loud caw cut through the sky, the sound growing louder at the approach of my bird. I knew it was him now, my magic swirled in my stomach, growing into a flame that burned like straight vodka. My vision cleared just as the jaguar and Crow collided with me. Crow was a split second faster and his presence blew my magic into a raging fire that shot out of my hands in a cloudscape of blue. It formed into a long blade and sliced clean through the monster a moment before his teeth could grab hold of my neck.